I've never really been into homemade hydroponics though I've heard a few friends who've dabbled with setting up their systems in the roof space of their homes. We even rented a house once which had a fairly complex lighting system in the house - no guessing as to why they were there.

It's a shame that hydroponics has such a stigma about it. If you mention that hydroponic gardening is a hobby of yours people instantly assume you're growing weed or you're a geek employed as a lab technician. Homemade hydroponics is so much more than either of these fallacies.

Many gardeners have opted to garden hydroponically due to space restrictions, weather extremes and even physical ailments which would keep many gardeners out of a "normal" garden situation. It's opening up a whole realm of possibilities and is a great hobby.

If you want to create your own homemade hydroponics system there are a few basic fundamentals that you need.

1. Light You need a light source. If you are able to get enough natural light where your hydroponic system will be located then this should be enough. Otherwise, you will need to supplement this with flourescent lighting.
2. Hydroponics Pump If you are planning to use the ebb & flow method, which is by far the easiest if you are wanting to create your own homemade hydroponics system, you will need a small pump to pump the nutrient solution into the growing trays.
3. Timer You will need a timer for both the lighting system and also one for the feeding system. These need to be hardy enough that they will be regular in their control of the system.
4. Planting Trays PVC planting trays are probably the easiest and cheapest solution for a homemade hydroponics system. These need to stable enough to keep the plants from falling over yet still allowing them to feed from the nutrient mixture.
5. Pots Any sterile pots, predominantly nursery pots, will do the trick. If they're not sterile just wash in a weak solution of bleach and leave to drain naturally.
6. Planting Medium Vermiculite/perlite, coconut fibre and rockwool are the most common mediums to use mainly because thy drain well and can still retain enough moisture for the plants needs.

Put it all together and voila! you have your very own homemade hydroponics system ready to begin planting.